Myths of the Dawn Era
Atmoran Myths Creation Myth Shor the Fox, first born of the spirits, gathered his kin together to create the World (Allgard). Some of the spirits refused to aid him and departed for the Void (Undergarde) becoming the Demons. Those that remained with Shor became the Gods. The Gods elected Shor as their king and got working in building the world. The god Magnus, architect of the world, selfishly abandoned the project and escaped with many of the lesser gods (Midregods) to the heavens (Sovngarde). The path he tore through the sky created the Sun (Sol) and those of the lesser gods created the stars (Starnar). The remaining gods finished the creation of the world. After the creation of the world the goddess Kyne the Hawk, wife of Shor, created the ancestors of humans (the Aldafathir) at the Throat of the World (Óst av Allgard) in Skyrim. Shor founded the kingdom of Atmora for Kyne's children. In the ancient past Atmora was a part of the super-continent that covered the world and was connected to Skyrim. Alduin the Dragon, was jealous of Shor's power and his wife's creations and conspired against him. Orkey the Snake joined him in his plot and they rallied Alduin's children: the Dragons (Draker) and the Elves (Alfar); against Shor. They declared war on Shor, betraying their king. Shor rallied the other gods: Tsun the Whale, Stuhn the Bear, Jhunal the Owl, Dibella the Moth and Mara the Wolf. The war of the gods sundered Atmora from the rest of the continent, separating most of Kyne's children from their fatherland while some of them became stuck on the main continent. Despite the best efforts of the brothers Tsun and Stuhn, Shield-thanes of Shor, Orkey killed Shor. The Snake tore Shor's heart out and threw it into the Red Mountain (Rødfjell). Tsun was killed during the battle, trying to protect his king. A grieving Kyne created the moons from her husband's corpse: the large moon (Stornar) and the small moon (Snædnar). Alduin became the new king of the gods and he took Mara, Kyne's handmaiden, as his concubine. He forced the humans to bend to the will on his kin, putting the Dragons in charge of Atmora. While the other gods bowed down to Alduin, one refused to do so: the god who called himself Ysmir. Ysmir proclaimed himself the champion of Shor and has continued to fight Alduin's children since. The spirits of Shor and Tsun departed for Sovngarde. There Shor created the Hall of Valor (Størahall), a gigantic feasting hall where the mead flows like a waterfall. Tsun took his post at the Whalebone Bridge in front of the hall to test those worthy of joining Shor's feast. There they await till the End Times (Sluttider) where Shor will lead his army of dead warriors against Alduin for the fate of the world. Origin of Ysmir Ysmir the Dragon of the North is a god that appeared in Atmoran myths abruptly after the War of the Gods. Because the events of the Dawn Era weren't recorded in runestones until a millenium later during the Merethic Era, there are conflicting accounts as to this god's origins. In the dogma of the Dragon Cult, it was believed that Ysmir was an ambitious Midregod that returned to Allgard after the death of Shor in order usurp the newly acquired throne of Alduin as King. To the cult he was portrayed as opportunist and nothing more. Other accounts of his origins vary significantly from this telling. One origin is that Ysmir was the son of Shor that discovered Alduin's traitorous plot, but was unable to warn his father as he was sent to Undergarde by the traitors. Ysmir was only able to escape from Undergarde after the death of his father with the help of his grandfather Ginnung (Sithis). Upon learning of his father's fate Ysmir swore eternal vengeance against Alduin and his children. This telling explains why Ysmir hates Alduin, but does not explain his epitaph. Another origin claims that Ysmir was a son of Alduin that betrayed his father and sided with Shor during the war. After learning of his father's plot against Shor Ysmir's honor forbade him from participating, but his familial ties stopped him from warning Shor, something that he would later regret after Orkey brutally killed Shor. Feeling ashamed of his inaction, Ysmir rose up against his father and declared himself the Champion of Shor, fighting his parent and kin for eternity. This telling explains why Ysmir is considered a dragon. Category:Stories